Southwest technology problems cancel, delay flights

July 21,2016 06:06

DALLAS (AP) — Hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights across the country were delayed or canceled Wednesday after technology problems prevented many travelers from checking in or boarding flights. Southwest began having intermittent problems with ...

Southwest Airlines Co. said technical disruptions grounded some planes, blocked use of its website and prevented travelers from checking in for flights Wednesday.Intermittent issues with â€œmultiple technology systemsâ€ started in the afternoon, the carrier said in an e-mailed statement. The problems forced Southwest to ground flights that hadnâ€™t left their airport gates, and to manually process some customers.â€œWe have a team of experts working diligently to resolve the technical issues, and their efforts have systems gradually coming back online,â€ the airline said. â€œWe expect to continue our move toward a normal operation, but believe it will take time.â€The airline, which said a â€œsignificantâ€ number of flights were affected without providing a number, told customers on Twitter that it didnâ€™t know when the problems would be corrected. More than 1,450 Southwest flights were delayed and 168 canceled, according to Flightstats.com, which monitors air traffic. Four of the top five U.S. airports for delayed arrivals and departures have a major Southwest presence.For a piece on Southwestâ€™s technology investments, click here.The incident is similar to an October disruption that forced the airline to manually process travelers, who were asked to show up for flights at least two hours early. At least 450 flights were delayed then. The carrier never provided details of what caused the failure.Southwest replaced its normal website home page, where customers usually search for flights and make reservations, with one advising visitors not to refresh their browser and that they would be transferred to Southwest.com â€œas soon as possible.â€ Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE